Senator Blanche Lincoln Ran Ads Saying She Supported AND Opposed Healthcare Reform

In keeping with today's April Fool's Day theme, its another one of those things that only seem to happen in the circus we call American Politics.

From Keith Olbermann on COUNTDOWN and his Worst Persons In The World- Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln. Senator Lincoln has run ads in Arkansas telling her TV audience that she was opposed to the public option and healthcare reform (she voted against it, and also against the fixes after the Bill was returned to the Senate after it was passed by the House). But now Lincoln is running ads saying that she stood by the President for the passage of healthcare reform.

(As a sidebar when you GOOGLE Search "Blanche Lincoln", one of the sponsored links is www.ScraptheBill.org, which is dedicated to the repeal of "Obamacare".)

Ahhh....with friends like Senator Blanche.....

Also included in the "Worst Persons", old reliables Dick Morris and Rush Limbaugh.

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The Tea Party's Last Stand On Healthcare....The Elephants March Backwards

Above- Question; "How is this elephant like Bette Davis?"....Answer; "They both said 'What a dump!!!'"


Its better late than never in showing this video. Its from one of the last Tea Party Anti-Healthcare reform rallies last week in Washington, and is from the NewLeftMedia You Tube Channel.

After seeing this you might get angry, or you might feel sad....but I'll guarantee one thing- some of these protesters will have you laugh at some of their "WTF" answers and ideas.

Be careful where you step!

A backward marching pachyderm might have been there first!

Harris Poll; 24% of the Nation's Republicans Say Obama Is The Anti-Christ

Commentary

I had MSNBC on this afternoon, listening to David Shuster with the results of the latest Harris Poll....and to say this least, the results were really mindblowing.

In the past I have tried to refrain from "broadbrushing" the Republican Party and its membership- I have Republican friends and family; my late and beloved grandfather-and his brothers- all loyal GOP voters. But after listening to these results, and seeing them with my own eyes, I'm starting to wonder- just how many sane people are left in the GOP?

So here's some of the results, taken from Jon Avlon's blog in The Daily Beast. It deals with Republicans' thoughts about President Barack Obama.

* 67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist.

* 57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim
* 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president"
* 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did"
* Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist."

I'm trying to figure out how a President, under who's watch the nation's financial institutions were bailed out and who's officers are raking in millions of dollars in bonuses, could be called a socialist. And today's signing of the healthcare reform act will be a windfall for the nation's insurance companies, with no public option as a fallback for the nation's uninsured.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is a socialist (and proud of it), was just on with Ed Schultz. The Senator more or less told the viewers that in no way, shape or form is Barack Obama a socialist. Sanders gave the example of Denmark, which is indeed socialist. In that country the citizens pay NOTHING for healthcare, and the tuition for the nation's university.....zero. As Senator Sanders explained, most American really have no idea what a socialist is.

And he's right.

Barack Obama is no more a socialist as I am the Fifth Beatle.

Nor is he a Muslim...nor is he foreign born. Then there are the 38% of the respondents to the poll who say Obama " is doing many of the things that Hitler did".

I guess that should send shockwaves to the throngs of Jewish and gay supporters Mr. Obama has....not to mention advisers, particularly Rahm Israel Emanuel, his chief of staff. Incidentally- Emmanuel's father was born in Jerusalem, and was a member of the Irgun. You'd think he's know the Resurrection of Der Fuhrer when he saw it.

And no, Obama did not burn down the House of Representatives (as Hitler did the Reichstag) and blame it on enemies of the state. He is not accompanied around the nation with Brown Shirts. No political opponents have disappeared in the darkness of night. Labor unions are still legal, and the last I've heard there have been no organized book burnings. We have yet to annex Canada (just the English speaking provinces) or invade a defenseless neighbor (the Bahamas, maybe?).

The Obama critics seem to know even less about fascism than they do socialism.

As for the President being "the Anti-Christ".....I don't know. If he were really the son of the Prince of Darkness (and I don't mean Ozzie), do you really think he would have put up with all of that crap from John Boehner for this long? He would have dispatched him to that Great Celestial Tanning Booth months ago.

Granted, I've played some of the above for laughs....but the results of this poll- and the belief of some extremists on the right that the President is a threat, and as stated in Avlon's blog, a "domestic enemy"...there is some very scary stuff starting to happen in America. And its not from Obama...its from those who toss around these lies and half truths, and those who sadly believe them.

I agree with Republican blogger David Frum, who's lamenting that the GOP's elected officials are no longer calling the shots in their own party....its the voices of the Limbaugh's and the Beck's, and the mega beast called Fox News. There is no room for moderation in the GOP of the 21st century; to even considerate working with Democrats would lead to a raking over the coals by Limbaugh, Beck, and the rest. The tone of discourse has taken on an ugly racial edge recently- and I believe much of the Obama hatred comes from the color of his skin, not from his ideas or policies. Not all, of course, but we're starting to see the poison bubble to the top.

Before the Republican Party can even consider "taking back America", they have to take back there own party from the extremists who have taken over, who's only agenda is to keep the hate alive, and offering no constructive ideas other than creative ways to keep saying "no".

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment- The GOP May Have Met Its Waterloo

Between watching some news, some basketball, and catching up on the latest episode of DAMAGES I did catch the return of Keith Olbermann to COUNTDOWN.

He gave a SPECIAL COMMENT worthy of the attention of all, but particularly by conservatives and Republicans, and their failure to "smell the coffee".

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Keith Olbermann,COUNTDOWN,Keith Olberman Special Comment March 22 2010, Republicans,conservatives,Tea Party,Republican Waterloo,Healthcare Reform

Progressive Eruptions: CONSERVATIVE DAVID FRUM TALKS ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE FIGHT AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GOP

Conservative columnist and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum blogs about President Obama and the Democrat's win on healthcare reform and how it has become the "Waterloo" of the Republicans and the Conservative movement. It is reproduced on the Progressive Eruptions blog, with my thanks.



Progressive Eruptions: CONSERVATIVE DAVID FRUM TALKS ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE FIGHT AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE GOP

WHAT IF.....The "Second Coming" Had Occurred, And Somebody Forgot To Text You At The Rally?

There was one imagine that has burned inside me since seeing it several days ago. It concerns what happened when pro-healthcare reform people rallied at the same time as anti-reform Tea Baggers in front of the offices of Representative Mary Jo Kilroy in Columbus, Ohio . I first saw this on Shannyn Moore's blog last week, and Bill Maher showed the most disturbing snippet last week on Real Time. It originally was posted on The Political Carnival.

Look at the video below, and take note of the treatment by the protesters of 60 year old Robert Letcher who has Parkinson's Disease. The video has gone viral, and you can read more about the incident in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch .



While sitting in church this morning and listening to Gospel concerning Jesus forgiving the woman who had committed adultery, and telling the mob who who came to stone her to death, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", and being reminded in the homily that as children we are taught that "God is everywhere", I had a thought or two.

Let us forget that the man in the video with Parkinson's, Mr. Letcher, was a former engineer with a doctorate form Cornell. Let us suspend our disbelief, and say this was a man with no traceable past- we know nothing of him, other than he claimed to be seriously ill with Parkinson's, and wanted to see the passage of the healthcare reform bill.

What if you, me, or the protesters on either side didn't know Robert Letcher from Adam?

Christians are told, and believe, that "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again".

But what if Christ did come back....and did so in the form of a 60 year old man with Parkinson's Disease, confronting an angry mob in a city in Ohio where he was mocked, and had money thrown at him, and insulted by the alleged good people who "want their country back"?".

Ridiculous you say? Blasphemous?

We are often hit with the old cliche of God working in mysterious ways....if he could appear as a burning bush, or pillar of fire, why couldn't the son of God come back as man in late middle age with a painful  and unfortunate condition of Parkinson's?

Doing so might be the ultimate test of the compassion- or the lack of- by mankind.

What if it were a test....and once again, the human race failed?

Is this too much to handle, to impossible to fathom? Okay....let's make our fictionalized person an angel, or the personification of a living human saint Would that make the harsh treatment anymore less cruel? At what point is it OK to treat your fellow man like trash?

The bottom line....its never acceptable.

Buddhists live by a creed that we should treat each individual as if they were a deity, and respect that which is holy in them. Its not that much different as the Judeo-Christian belief of an ever present God.

Its sad that the men who mocked and threw money at Robert Letcher last week in Columbus didn't take the time to see what is good and holy in a man suffering from a condition that for the grace of God that they never have to experience. These were men claiming to be driven to wanting to save their country.....but instead they became motivated by fear and hatred, and became worse than the monster of "big government" they were trying to slay.

And I wonder how they are spending their Sunday afternoon?

First Full Day of Spring and Maybe A New Day For America

Time to wish all a happy first FULL day of spring, and hope that all can enjoy some of the wonderful weather today. Its quite a contrast from the damaging nor'easter of a week ago in this neck of the woods.

But of even more significance is today's long awaited vote on healthcare reform in America. Today CBS Sunday Morning did the best job I have seen yet in presenting what's at stake....and I'd think the Democratic leadership could have used its media connections to produce something of similar quality to use to explain reform to the American people.

The bottomline is this- if the vote wins, it may be a new day for healthcare in America, and a boost to the economy, and a monumental achievement for the Obama presidency....he will have accomplished something tried or floated by former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton.

But if it fails....this beautiful spring day may be remembered in the same ignominy as the day of the Dred Scott decision- and the Obama presidency will be crippled, if not marginalized altogether.

This is not a perfect bill by any stretch....but it is a start. And it is something America needs for its future as well as its present.

And as I type this...I'm too nervous to even watch the vote.

To all members of the House; do the right thing.

Tea party protesters hurl racial insults at Georgia Rep. John Lewis - BostonHerald.com

For a long time Tea Party organizers have denied the racism of some of their members. But this afternoon Congressman John Lewis, a man nearly beaten to death while fighting for civil rights in Alabama decades ago, felt the wrath of Tea Party protesters.

He was called the "n-word" by some in the crowd protesting the healthcare reform bill set to be voted on tomorrow morning.

Also....Congressman Barney Frank was allegedly called a gay slur and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn was allegedly spit on by a Tea Party protester. Mother Jones magazine's website has pictured the Confederate "Stars 'n Bars" at today's protest.

READ MORE...from the BostonHerald.com

NJ Dem Adler Said To Vote NO On Healthcare Reform; A Profile In Courage It Is Not

Commentary

In a column written by Tom Moran of the STAR-LEDGER (Newark, NJ) yesterday, it was revealed that Congressman John Adler, a freshman Democrat who road the coattails of the Obama whirlwind into office in 2008, will vote "NO" on the House version of the healthcare reform package.

Adler represents the Third Congressional District of New Jersey, which includes much of Burlington and Ocean Counties, and some of the more affluent suburbs of Camden County. Adler claims that healthcare reform should consist of preventative care, tax credits for the purchase of health insurance, and he has voiced his opposition to a single payer option . Adler's district was held by Republicans for nearly a century...when he held town meeting in Toms River last week it allegedly became an anti-healthcare reform rally.

District Three is one of the most conservative areas of the nominally blue state of New Jersey. It consists of many retirees in the shore communities, as well as those who can afford the steep price real estate in a district where more people have an ocean or bay view than anywhere in the state. Adler says he is going to vote his conscience.....but there is a caveat. A very big one.

His name is John Runyan. Yes, the former Philadelphia Eagle's offensive lineman. Runyan has gotten the blessing of the Republican sugar daddies to run against Adler for the Third District's Congressional seat. Runyan claims to be against more government spending (excepting the military) and for "legitmate" spending on projects in the Third District. In the Runyan story on Philly.com Runyan never gave specifics. He is against the Democratic healthcare bill but for the purchase of insurance from across state lines. Runyan is pro-nuclear energy, was unspecific regarding beach replenishment, and claims he needs to do more research on the district he wants to represent in Congress. He has been a professional football player his entire life, and this is his first run for public office. He last played for the San Diego Chargers last season.

And though he is a political novice, if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on John Runyan to beat John Adler in November.

Also, in my opinion, I don't see John Adler's probable "no" vote tomorrow as a matter of conscience, or acquiescing to his constituents wishes....its about winning in November, holding on to his seat in Congress, and giving himself two more years representing one of the reddish districts in Blue Jersey.

Its not about political courage- his "no" vote is all about John Adler's political survival.

But let's bottom line this....even if Adler votes "no" Runyan is going to beat Adler in November; the Third is Eagle country; more people know John Runyan down there than the name of their own Congressman. The guy is a hero in South Jersey. and if the healthcare bill goes down to defeat tomorrow- and the Dems are scrambling for every possible vote- do you think Obama, Biden, the Clintons, or any Democratic heavy hitters will lift a finger to help Adler in the fall?

I think there's a better chance of Angelina breaking up with Brad and running away to Rio with yours truly.

If Adler had a change of heart and voted "yes" on the bill....in all likelihood the district would go back to the Republicans. But before you can say "Hobson's Choice", think of this.....the one vote of John Adler may cast "for" might be the vote that saves the lives of the 45,000 people in a single year. That number, 45,000, is the number estimated of those who die in a given year because they do not have health insurance.

That number is more than times the amount of military personnel killed in Iraq since that the start of that war seven years ago.

Why is it that those lives lost in Iraq are venerated while those lost each year in our hospitals, clinics, and hospices are treated like marginalized numbers, and are penny pinched, and are mere pawns in a political game of wins and losses?

How can we treat the lives of OUR countrymen so shabbily...and breast beat about "good conscience"?

John Adler....ten years from now....would you rather say that your vote saved the lives of nearly half a million people, or would you prefer a few more years in Washington?

You sir...have a chance to do something great, one which you may be celebrated for.

Or you can continue the naive and delusional charade you are fronting for your constituents, and for yourself.

I'm but one voice....do the right thing. Please.

GOP "Press Conference" Calls For A Revolution

An elected congresswoman called for harassment against the government, and compared health care reform to Nazi death camps. Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann was a leader in what was called by its organizers a "press conference" on the steps of the Capitol against health care reform, in front of about 4,000 self described patriots on Thursday.

She was joined in the efforts by some of her ideological fellow travelers; namely Republican House Leader John Boehner, and Representatives Virginia Foxx and Paul Broun among many others in this "press conference".

Below, Keith Olbermann and Eugene Robinson discuss the event on MSNBC's COUNTDOWN.

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